Study: Customers suffer where regulators are weak [ICASA take note!!!]

This article is very low on relevant facts. They do not point to the study, the study methodology, size of sample etc. As far as I read it, the countries mentioned are, like South Africa, socialist countries that regulated a monopoly and are now changing the regulation to allow for competition. Thus it is not so much that the countries have weak regulations, just that the countries have the wrong regulations. In South Africa, we have pretty much air-tight (strong) regulations that prevent competition with Telkom. What we need here is not "strong" regulations, but the right regulations. There are plenty parties in South Africa that want in on the action, have the capital to go for it, but cannot because it is illegal to setup a PSTN when your name is not Telkom. The only regulations that should apply are those preventing bad use of a monopoly (as a monopoly in of itself is not necessary a wrong thing) and also preventing syndicates as those are just monopolies by commitee.

Peace.
 
Agree. Monopolies can act to the good of all when not profit concious. Problem is that Telkom is profit orientated but operating on Government handouts ie infrastrure etc
 
<Sarcasm>
Regulators? Are there any in SA? .. I have seen Voltage regulators, and gas regulators.. are they related?
</sarcasm>
 
TonyA said:
Agree. Monopolies can act to the good of all when not profit concious. Problem is that Telkom is profit orientated but operating on Government handouts ie infrastrure etc
Click to expand...

Futhermore govement profits from Telkom's "success":(
 
alchamy said:
Futhermore govement profits from Telkom's "success":(
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that about 80% of South Africans dont have phones (I think its 80%.. it could be better/worse) .. So the majority of the general voting public dont support Telkom anyway.

Richard
 
thanks for the link

i think both sides - strong regulator + right regulation - are correct; the efficacy of independent regulators is borne out by the fact that there are now roughly 132 independent communications regulators worldwide...up from around 7 15-20 yrs ago

+ with the new act coming into play my personal opinion is that it has all the potential to facilitate proper competition...many things are needed for this to happen but the most crucial imho is a strong, independent regulator with real teeth and which uncompromisingly seeks to (a) protect the interests of consumers and (b) ensure rigidly fair competition and transparency between licencees and between licencees and consumers

....Dear Mr Father Christmas Person
This year for Christmas i would like a strong and independent regulator that acts efficiently and effectively in the interests of consumers.

....more likely to get the 500SL
 
ic said:
@dominic, what fining [of licencees] capabilities does ICASA have according to existing legislation [the ICASA Act] and will this change with the ICASA Ammendment Bill? [the version that the NCOP rejected]
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more the province of the telecomms act / electronic communications act

there are a number of powers accorded to the regulator - investigations, search and confiscation etc etc

the big sticks are the ability to pursue criminal charges and to withdraw a licence due to repeated infringements

under the icasa amendment act as far i recall they have beefed up icasa's abilities to require licencees to handover documentation and answer questions...it will be an offence to hand over docs or make representations to icasa where the licencee does not in good faith believe these to accurately represent the position..
 
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